Article dispenser having a closure operated keeper



Jan. 9, 1968 G, FZSH T R 3,362,583

ARTICLE DISPENSER HAVING A CLOSURE OPERATED KEEPER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 9, 1966 .1 i \\\\I A i [2s 25 1 as EL INVENTOR.

GEORGE F. SHOWALTER ATTORNEY.

1968 G. F. SHOWALTER 3,

ARTICLE DISPENSER HAVING A CLOSURE OPERATED KEEPER Filed Sept. 9, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet Emil!! HI!!! mum FIGS 5? INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

GEORGE F. SHOWALTER United States Patent M 3,362,583 ARTICLE DISPENSER HAVING A CLOSURE OPERATED KEEPER George F. Showalter, Bellmawr, NJ. (2134- Merchantviile Ava, Pennsauken, NJ.

Filed Sept. 9, 1966, Ser. No. 578,291 3 Claims. (Cl. 221-298) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates generally to an article dispenser, and is especially concerned with such devices as are adapted for dispensing pills and the like, and for carrying on the person of the user.

While there are in the prior art a number of proposed pill dispensers for personal use, these devices have not met with general acceptance for various reasons, including complexity of structure, difiicult and unreliable operation, failure to protect pills from damage, lack of sanitation, and for other reasons.

Accordingly, it is an important object of the present invention to provide a dispensing device of the type described which overcomes the above-mentioned difficulties, it extremely simple in construction, requiring a minimum of parts, durable and reliable throughout a long useful life, being quite simple to operate by either hand involving only movement of a single finger, and which effectively protects the contents from contamination and other damage throughout storage and in the dispensing procedure.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification and referring to the accompanying drawings, which form a material part of this disclosure.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts, which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope will be indicated by the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view illustrating a dispenser constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view isi-milar to FIGURE 1, but with the component parts exploded and partially broken away for clarity of understanding;

FIGURE 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken generally along the line 33 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken generally along the line 44 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a top view taken generally along the line 55 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE '6 is a sectional view taken generally along the line 66 of FIGURE 4, with the dispenser in its closed, nondispensing condition;

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view similar to FIGURE 6, but with the dispenser in its open, dispensing condition;

FIGURE 8 is a sectional view similar to FIGURE 6, illustrating retention of the contents in the dispenser; and

FIGURE 9 is a sectional view similar to FIGURE 7, illustrating dispensing of the contents.

3,362,583 Patented Jan. 9, I968 Referring now more particularly to the drawings, and specifically to FIGURES 1-3 thereof, the dispenser is there generally designated 10, and includes a supply part or container 11 for containing a supply of pills or other articles to be dispensed. Extending from the supply part 11 is (an outlet part or conduit 9, through which the contained articles are discharged.

The overall configuration of the dispenser may be generally flat, the outlet conduit 9 being substantially coplanar with the supply container 11 and of an internal thickness slightly greater than that of a single article of contents or pill, as will appear presently. More specifically, the supply container 11 may include a pair of parallel spaced, facing side walls 12, of substantially congruent, generally trapezoidal configuration. The side walls 12 may be connected together along their rear edges by a rear edge wall 13, along their front edges by a front edge wall 14, and along their top edges by a top edge wall 15. The lower edges of the side walls 12 may remain open to provide a fill opening 15, and a closure 16 may be provided to removably close the fill opening 15. The closure 16 may include a generally rectangular plate 17 removably disposed across the fill opening 15, and carrying on its inner face a plug 18 removably engageable into the fill opening. Snap means 19 may be provided on opposite sides of the closure 16 for releasable snap engagement with pins 20 projecting from opposite sides of the side walls 12. The closure 16 is thereby releasably retained in its closed position.

From the fill opening 15, the container part 11 may be I of gradually increasing cross-sectional configuration in its forwlard-and-rea-rward direction, as by the forward inclination of front edge wall 14. This container configuration has been found convenient to hold in a hand of the user, and to facilitate gravitational movement of contained articles or pills, as at 25 in FIGURE 3, upward toward the outlet conduit 9.

The outlet conduit 9 is defined by an extension of the container part 11, including a pair of parallel spaced, facing side walls 26 being forward extensions of the container side walls 12, an upper edge wall 27 between the upper edges of side walls 26 and being an extension of the upper edge wall 15, and a lower edge wall 28 between the lower edges of side walls 26, extending forwardly from the upper end of forward edge wall 14. Thus, the conduit 9 may be of generally rectangular cross-sectional configuration sized to receive a single article 25 and arranged to align a plurality of such articles in a row, as seen in FIGURE 8.

The side walls 26 of outlet conduit 9 are provided with longitudinally extending, closed end slots 30 disposed in opposed, aligned relation with respect to each other, adjacent to the upper edge wall 27, for a purpose appearing presently.

It will now be appreciated that the conduit 9 is pro vided at its distal end, remote from the supply container 11, with an end opening 31, for discharge of contained articles 25, in a manner appearing presently.

Associated with the outlet conduit 9 is a closure, generally designated 35. The closure 35 is slidable on the conduit 9 to open and close the discharge opening 31, and includes an endpiece 36 disposed across the discharge opening and having on its inner side a plug 37 engageable in the discharge opening, when the latter is closed. Extending from the endpiece 36 are a pair of generally flat, approximately rectangular sidepieces 38 disposed outwardly of and in facing relation with respective conduit side walls 26. The sidepieces 38 may be provided with one or more finger openings 39 to facilitate manual actuation of the closure 35.

On the inner side of conduit upper edge wall 27, between the slots 30, is located a generally fiat elongate member or operator 4-0. The operator member 40 is located between the opposite conduit side walls 26, except for a pair of laterally outstanding portions or Wings 41, each of which projects through and beyond a respective slot 30 for rigid connection to the adjacent sidepiece 38 of closure 35. The wings 41 are of considerably less length than their receiving slots 30, and serve to mount the closure 35 for sliding movement along the conduit 9, displacing the endpiece 36 toward and away from the discharge opening 31 to close and open the latter, within the limits imposed by the closed ends of the slots. At the rear end of each closure sidepiece 38 may be provided a resiliently distensible, generally C-shaped clip 42. The clips 42 move with the closure 35 into and out of resiliently releasable embracing engagement with a pair of outstanding pins 43 on respective container side walls 12, to releasably retain the closure in its closed condition.

The slots 30, while providing guideways for the operator wings 41, to mount the closure 35 for its longitudinal reciprocation, are effectively closed by overlying portions of the sidepieces 38 to prevent entry of foreign matter into the dispenser 10. Also aiding in this purpose are the rearward extension 45 and forward extension 46 of the operator member, which effectively close the slots 30 from the inside thereof.

Mounted interiorly of the outlet conduit 9, adjacent to and below the upper edge wall 27, is a keeper, generally designated 50. The keeper is of somewhat triangulate configuration, being mounted on a pivot pin 51 extending laterally across and mounted in opposite regions of conduit side walls 26. The triangulate keeper includes a detaining arm 52 extending in a generally forward direction from the pin 51, as seen in FIGURE 3, and an abutment 53 extending generally rearward or opposite to the arm 52. In addition, the keeper includes a cam member 54 upstanding from the pivot 51, transverse of the arm 52 and abutment 53. The cam member 54 upstands into the path of movement of the forward portion 46 of operator 40, when the operator is retracted and the closure 35 is closed. Upon forward opening movement of the closure 35, as by a finger push on the closure, the forward end portion 46 of operator 40 rides over cam 54 to swing the latter forwardly and downwardly. This effects downward shifting or swinging movement of the arm 52 into the path of the row of articles 25 in conduit 9. The abutment 53 swings upward, and in such condition is engageable with the operator 40 to limit downward swinging movement of the arm 52. That is, the cam member 54 and abutment 53 are engageable with the underside of operator 40 to effectively retain the keeper arm 52 in a downwardly shifted position, as in FIGURE 9, when the closure 35 is slid forwardly. In this downwardly swung condition of keeper 50, only the articles 25 may move forwardly for discharge through the opening 31, those rearwardly of the keeper being retained by the keeper. In the illustrated embodiment, the keeper 50 is located in spaced relation rearwardly of the discharge opening 31 a distance approximately equal to the dimension of a single article 25, so that only a single article may be dispensed upon each opening of the closure 35. If desired, the keeper 50 may be located to dispense any predetermined number of articles.

Upon return of the closure 35 to its closed condition, as between the positions of FIGURES 9 and 8, the keeper 50 is free to swing upward, permitting repeated gravitational movement of the forwardmost article 25 past the keeper, in preparation for repetition of the above-described dispensing operation.

From the foregoing, it is seen that the present invention provides a personal, sanitary dispenser of the type described which fully accomplishes its intended objects and is well adapted to meet practical conditions of manufacture and use.

Although the present invention has been described in some detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity of understanding, it is understood that certain changes and modifications may be made within the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An article dispenser comprising a supply container for articles to be dispensed, an outlet conduit extending from said supply container for receiving a row of said articles and having a discharge opening for successively passing the articles of said row, a keeper mounted in said conduit spaced a predetermined number of articles from said discharge opening and shiftable into and out of the path of said row, a closure mounted for movement on said conduit to open and close said discharge opening, an operator carried by said closure and engageable with said keeper to shift the latter into and out of said path upon respective opening and closing movement of said closure, said predetermined number of articles being free to pass through the discharge opening upon opening movement of said closure and the remaining articles of said row being retained by said keeper, pivot means mounting said keeper in said conduit for swinging movement into and out of said path, and cam means on said keeper for engagement with said operator to effect said swinging movement, said closure being slidable on said conduit, and said operator comprising a member carried by said closure and movable therewith into and out of engagement with said cam means.

2. An article dispenser according to claim 1, said discharge opening being at the distal end of said conduit, and said closure comprising an endpiece extending transversely across and closing said discharge opening, and sidepieces extending from said endpiece in longitudinal sliding relation with the sides of said conduit to mount said endpiece for closing and opening movement toward and away from said discharge opening.

3. An article dispenser according to claim 2, said conduit being formed with at least one longitudinal slot having closed ends, and said operator member being carried by at least one of said sidepieces and extending laterally through said slot into said conduit, for operating engagement with said cam means and limiting engagement with opposite ends of said slot.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,502,325 7/1924 Bannister 221-298 2,108,902 2/1938 Rasmussen 221289 2,483,039 9/1949 Davis 221-298 3,159,308 12/1964 Passavani 221-289 WALTER SOBIN, Primary Examiner. 

